JAMES DOUGHERTY DEMOCRATIC BACKGROUND: Dougherty, 72, is also running on the Independence, Working Families and Island Action lines. He is seeking his second term. He has lived on Shelter Island for 17 years. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School. He is a former chief executive of Supermarket General Corp. and headed the Shelter Island Open Space Committee for eight years....

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BACKGROUND: Dougherty, 72, is also running on the Independence, Working Families and Island Action lines. He is seeking his second term. He has lived on Shelter Island for 17 years. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School. He is a former chief executive of Supermarket General Corp. and headed the Shelter Island Open Space Committee for eight years.

ISSUES: Dougherty said his fiscal foresight helped Shelter Island avoid the financial problems encountered by other towns. He said he has kept tax increases to "a bare minimum" and reduced the town's budget since being elected. He oversaw the restoration of Shell Beach, the opening of Bridge Street Park, and the relocation of the town's youth center from a trailer into Legion Hall. In his next term, he intends to keep the town financially sound, and to work to preserve Sylvester Manor.